


A long way home

by DPTighe



Category: The Warden - Fandom
Genre: Contest, Gore, Guards, Horror, Mutation, Prison, Violence, Zombie, Zompoc, bad language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-29
Updated: 2019-05-29
Packaged: 2020-03-27 15:56:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19016068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DPTighe/pseuds/DPTighe
Summary: Kelly finds herself in a tight situation; the only light at the end of this extremely dark tunnel of despair is a chance at a large cash prize.What will kelly give of herself to win the money she needs to look after her daughter and is it worth it.





	1. Self-sacrifice

**Author's Note:**

> I'll add more tags to this the further along I get.
> 
> This is more of a teaser for a new book I'm coming up with based on my book 'The Warden'

Chapter one

 

“We know you are in there you fucking bitch! Open this god damn door now!” Dave shouts with fury in his voice as he kicks the blue door with steel toe capped boots. Door number one-hundred-and seven, the home of Kelly Ike and her not even one-year-old daughter Katie Ike. As Dave hammers on the door with enough force to make his knuckles bleed he begins to seethe, his face glowing red and sweat beginning to form on his shaved domed head. Across from him and acting more relaxed is Paul.

Slimmer than Dave he chews gum and flicks through random Instagram pictures of girls. “She isn’t going to open the fucking door Paul, can we just break it down already?”

Dave tries to get his bearings together as he runs his rage, induced shakings hands down his face. Katie lying within the home can be heard crying and wailing at all the noise caused by Dave, and she isn’t the only one to have taken note to the ongoings outside the flat. Neighbours had started to open their doors one by one and see what the fuss was. Old Mrs Miller from next door to Kelly has bright pink rollers in her withered grey hair and a white, old fashioned phone in her hands. With not much difference between a dried up piece of fruit and her face, she looked Dave dead in the eye with a monstrous stare. “Best we get her when she’s on the way to the shops or out in the town,” suggested Paul as he tucked the phone back into his black bomber jacket.

“Let’s bounce before that old bitch gets the cops here.” “Fucking bitch!” screamed Dave in the direction of Mrs Miller, who didn’t so much as bat an eyelid at his actions.

Dave knew he couldn’t touch the old cow, so he decided to bang on Kelly’s door one last time. She needed a reminder. “You owe me five grand Kelly! Five! Don’t ever think you can escape me; I won’t let you.” Dave assaulted the door one final time before then turning away. Police sirens wailed in the distance and cars could be heard screeching near the bottom of the concrete high rise flats.

Slumped behind her front door and sobbing into folded arms, Kelly wished she had never borrowed money from Dave. He had a thing for her since she was sixteen and now he had her in debt to him, a debt she could never pay off. Now eighteen and a single mother Kelly borrowed one-thousand pounds to afford a pram, clothes, food and rent, failure to pay the debt back sent interest soaring, and in the end, there was only one thing Dave was after from Kelly. Living at the top of the concrete high-rise allowed Kelly to look down on the absolute trash of a town known as Rochdale. A stone’s throw from the dismal shopping district it was practically all slums. Seven high rises were group together as a collective and known as the ‘Sisters’. These unappealing blocks of concrete were where the poorer or unfortunate lived and tended to breed violence in the area.

With Katie being so young and not so full of hair Kelly couldn’t get a job to make ends meet, She scraped by off government handouts, and because of that, her flat lacked in certain areas. For instance, her small living room with rotting windows had no carpet, just a concrete floor. The entire flat had no carpet, she couldn’t afford it, and the government deemed it not a necessity. Grey floors and white walls throughout made the flat drab and offered a sense of dread.

Using the inside of her fingers, Kelly wiped fresh tears from her puffed up cheeks and swollen eyes. She tidied up her red dyed hair before then putting on a bright smile. She hurried over from the foot of the front door into the living room as though nothing was wrong. Next to a tatty brown sofa sat Katie’s crib. “Mummy is here sweetie there is nothing to worry about,” said Kelly as she started to make shushing sounds.

Picking up the little bundle of pink cloth and white blankets, she brought her daughter close to her chest and rocked her. Even for a baby Katie could sense her mother’s distress and cried more. Kelly found it hard to fight back the tears and felt as though she had fallen into the bottomless pit of despair. Keeping a tight hold of Katie, she headed into the stark kitchen and made the little one a warm bottle of milk. Katie loved her food and guzzled more than most babies. When the bottle was ready, and in Katie’s mouth, she went quiet. A joyous wave swept over Kelly as she sat down on the sofa and grabbed the television control. With it still being early morning she hoped to catch Phillip and Holly on the breakfast show. As luck would have it, the breakfast show was on. For a silver fox of a man, Phillip warmed Kelly’s, young heart. There was a man who had it all, humour and sex appeal. Watching the show for over half an hour made all of Kelly’s worries melt away, she sunk back into the tatty cushions and moved the bottle away from her now sleeping daughter. Fast asleep in her mother’s arms, Katie rubbed the side of her right cheek with her tiny hand, a cute expression that made Kelly smile.

In an attempt to not disturb Katie, Kelly tried to position herself in a more comfortable spot, one where the spring of the old sofa didn’t dig into her arse. Upon doing so led to the remote control falling off the arm of the chair and landing with a clang. Katie didn’t so much as stir, but now the controller lay halfway across the room, and the channel had been turned over. Named ‘Ultimate Survivor’ the channel now broadcast was not just a nations favourite but the most watched programme around the globe.

Kelly often viewed the channel at night as they showcased more action and more gore, daytime tended to be more recap than anything. Ultimate survivor was a reality show where contestants put their own lives on the line for substantial cash prizes or other more personal prizes. On the television, a girl similar to Kelly in height and width ran as fast as she could. Running for her life, she dashed through a crumbling mall with broken shop windows and hanging lights. Decaying corpses filled the area and even worse perused her. Dead runners, was a title given to the dead that could run and climb. Often they would catch contestants and torture them before then devouring them. In the heart of Manchester, a chemical weapon of unknown origin erupted and released a giant cloud of gas over a vast area of the city. That happened twenty years ago.

Twenty years later, we now know that the chemical or rather the airborne parasite infects those with specific genes and modifies them and their behaviour. In rare cases, the modification changed the person into the stuff of nightmares. Contestants on the show had to complete objectives like putting up five CCTV cameras for a prize of one-hundred-thousand. Not only that, the longer they stayed within Manchester, the more money they got, the show paid upwards of fifty thousand a day. Not that many lasted a day. The vast majority died or became one of the infected.

The young lass on telly rushed into a cuddly toy shop to try and get rid of her twenty or so pursuers. She had run from the fire and straight into the jaws of death. Dead runners with their speed and endless stamina were a problem, but the four-legged, rotting flesh Tyrants were one of those beasts of nightmares, and it had made the shop its lair. With the beasts incredible size and many heads, the yellow boil covered creature chased after the screaming girl with grafted on knives embedded into its arms. At this point Kelly couldn’t watch, she was squeamish about this stuff. She closed her eyes, but couldn’t close her ears from the screeching and gargling.

When all fell, silent Kelly opened her eyes. Because it was daytime the show did it’s best not to show graphic content, and thanks to that a message board covered the screen instead. Ultimate Survivor faced a current problem. When it first came out, thousands of people wanted to join but now, not so many. Lydia was the name of the now-dead girl, and she was the last of her group. The game was now asking for fresh blood. A hundred souls, ten teams, dropped behind the walls. Anyone could join, it didn't discriminate on age or gender.

Kelly had often joked about calling up the number for the games. If she managed to put up the camera’s and get to the helipad, she would be set for life. One-hundred-thousand could give her and Katie a brilliant start to life. On the other hand, death was almost guaranteed.

Looking down upon her sleeping daughters face, Kelly pulled her tiny black phone from her jeans pocket and typed the number her thumb hovered over the call button for a moment. “I can do this,” she said to herself before then hitting dial and propping the phone to her right ear.

There was a dial tone and a few rings before the call connected, and a female picked up on the other end. “Hello, little pig,” she said in a cheery voice. “You are through to Jackie at the reception desk of Ultimate Survivor. How many I help you today?”

Kelly’s breathing quickened, her chest pounding so hard it felt like her heart would burst from her chest any moment. Had she honestly thought this through? Within twenty-four hours she would be inside Manchester. “Hi, my name is Kelly Ike, and I’d like to apply to be a contestant please.” Kelly rushed her words as her hands and arms shook.

“Well then Kelly, you are in luck little pig. They’re a great number of vacant contestant places. First I’m going to need a few details off you before we send transport. Is that okay with you, my dear?” Jackie sounded as though she had chugged a full barrel of energy drink.

“Yes, that is okay,” replied Kelly. Okay then, can you give me your age, location, current employer, and if you have any criminal convictions. As you know, we do take in convicts, even those from America on death row and can offer a clean slate instead of money. We also do take in children over the age of twelve with parental permission.”

“I’m eighteen, currently unemployed, no criminal convictions and live at…” Kelly stopped talking as her phone pinged.

“Sorry about that Kelly, I just pinged your phone for a GPS location. Everything looks to be in order, and I gave all your details up on my screen now. Within the next hour transport will arrive at the Lidle carpark across from the block of flats you reside. Congratulations on becoming a contestant and I wish you the very best of luck little pig,” and with that said Jackie hung up.

Kelly’s mind switched. She went into full-on panic mode with Katie in her arms. Eyes still on the television the number of places left were down to forty. Right now, she needed to call her best friend Chloe and hope she could look after Katie. She wouldn’t believe what Kelly had done and would play hell with her for doing it. Even if she died, if she could get one camera up, then the money would be sent to whoever she wished after some time. That would cover any of Katie’s expenses for a little while. Kelly had doubts she would survive, but some had. One guy was still in there and had been for two-years.


	2. The More The Messier

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the next contestant is none other than Big Mike.

Chapter Two

 

Correctional officers called D-wing the ‘Lost hope’ corridor. A grey stone building stood separate to the rest of the prison, and substantial amounts of security patrolled the outer electric fence. What they guarded were six prisoners — a six-cell building with more security than the rest of the facility combined. Inside were gleaming white walls and polished floors that reflected the narrow lights. Even though the prison used the most up to date technology, for the most part, these cell's were made up of 16-inch cement blocks accompanied by beefy steel doors that needed a key. No automatic doors in this area, no one wanted a malfunction as the six inmates were near impossible to deal with an even worse so when they were released for their fifteen minutes of outside freedom if you could call it that.

  
Death row inmates were not allowed contact with other inmates, including the ones in their cell block, one of them, In particular, had to have four guards accompany him to the boxed in yard in case he tried to kill the guards again. Big Mike, they called him an animal above animals. He had killed three guards, seven inmates and when on the outside, he mowed down fifteen people in a hardware store with a hatchet. Somehow he was declared sane and sentenced to death via the chair. A chair that had failed to kill him twice already. His next date of execution by lethal injection now loomed. Four days remained.

  
Big Mike or Michael Chand was shy of seven feet tall and built like a bear. Most would refer to him as ‘The Bear’, yet others who knew him personally (not including guards) would say he had the most gentle soul. Guards begged to differ with that, and each one stationed to D-wing was nervous. Sat on his cell bed Mike stared up at his white ceiling and thought about the phone call he received yesterday from an ominous woman.

  
Polite and cheery this lady offered Mike a lifeline, a chance to avoid death for the third time and to erase all of his convictions. Mike was never interested in calls coming into the prison as they tended to be reporters. This particular call didn’t just go to him either. Other inmates had received the same offer and the same pitch.

  
“Guard!” shouted Mike, his voice grizzled and bouncing off the walls as he stood up and walked towards the door. He was dressed in a bedsheet-sized orange jumpsuit as he clubbed his large hand against the steel.  
“Guard!” he roared again like the ferocious animal he was.

  
Heavy bolts and the heavy steel door rattled with the continuous bangs, yet no one dared to respond. Guards stationed at a nearby checkpoint booth placed magazines on the table and looked down the stretch of white hallway. They exchanged looks between one another. Motty and Drew the only two on duty.  
“Coin flip?” suggested Motty as he put his weekly issue of shounen jump on the guard desk filled with cameras and equipment.

  
“Go for it,” said Drew as he took off his cap and ran his head over his receding hair. Motty a young looking lad approaching thirty and Drew in his forties worked the D-wing often. More pay, but they both hated it.

  
Mike relented his assault against the steel after ten solid strikes. He figured he would give it thirty seconds as he stood like a mountain glaring at it. After thirty seconds, he would hit his patience limit. Being an impatient man with the attitude of a hungry bear made him have urges, urges he let spiral out of control. From strangulation, maiming or straight up slaughter, Mike would do it all with a glorified expression shining through mounds of thick black beard.  
“What do you want, Michael?” Drew dressed in his blue uniform and a black belt was furious at his luck. Every friggin time Motty won that damn coin toss, every time.

  
Mike rarely did call out or disturb the peace, so when he did every guard had a high shit themselves alert inside their heads. Drew, Motty and others knew why Mike had made his presence known now so Drew even wearier, had tried to book this week off in case. Mike couldn’t escape through the steel, but even so, the sheer size of the bear behind it emasculated him.

  
“About that phone call I received,” said Mike as he leant against his door with his forehead pressed against the cold metal. Mike could sense Drew a few feet behind it and smiled.

  
“What about it?” Drew now backed up several paces from the door wishing this conversation wasn’t happening on his shift. He knew it would happen; he knew it.

  
“I would like to take the offer. I want to join in on this Survival game, give 'em a call will you and arrange for my transport.” Mike smashed both his palms off the door again. The loud bang and the rattling made Drew leap a few inches and breath heavy.

  
No one wanted this to happen, the last thing any guard wanted was to be saddled with a dangerous job of escorting this thing to the helipad, yet they had no choice. A flick of his wrist as he unbuttoned the radio Drew clicked in the intercom button.

  
“This is Drew over in D-Wing. Michael Chand has taken up the offer presented by the Instinct corporation. We are going to need a minimum of four armed guards to escort him to the helipad.” Drew let go of the radio intercom button and awaited a response.

  
“Hear you loud and clear Drew, lost the coin flip again didn’t you? Either way that bastard cannot deny the inevitable this time. Lucky for us, he has no idea what awaits him behind those walls. I shall call the promoter now and send a couple of guards your way,” said Donald, the oldest guard in the prison who had an encyclopedia of knowledge in his noggin.

  
Mike could hear the conversation clear as a bell and now became curious. Since the lady on the phone would not disclose any details about what he may be doing and since he had never seen the game on the television, he figured it would be unique and extraordinary. But how strange and how unique?  
“Level with me boss man, what is this game I'm about to enter? And don’t bullshit me,” asked Mike as he left the door and returned to his bed. His sheer weight made it bend towards the floor.

  
Drew could say nothing at this point or he could make up whatever he wanted. Either wouldn’t matter. Mike had killed two of his friends so Drew figured he would take great pleasure in revealing what awaited Mike. With a smirk, he now walked closer to the cell.

  
“They call it the Ultimate Survivor game because it is filled with nightmarish horrors. From what one could call zombies to even stranger monsters than you. You may avoid death here, Michael, but behind the walls, in Manchester, the entire world is going to watch your limbs be torn from your body or watch as you are eaten alive.” Drew smiled at the very images rolling through his mind, and at that moment, he felt taller than Mike.  
“Zombies?” blurted Mike before a thundering sound of laughter that shrivelled Drew’s expression and soul.

  
Mike felt he was being played for a fool. He wiped the tears of laughter from his eyes and then thought a little harder on what Drew said. Drew wouldn’t lie to him. Zombies now springing up in Mikes mind were slow, dim-witted rotting dead people who feasted on flesh and brains. If he had so much as spent one hour watching the show his opinion of them would have changed, he would not have accepted the deal.

  
Within Manchester city centre the majority of the dead populace were Dead Runners. Fast, agile and could climb like a monkey. They had no vision, so relied on sound and scent to route out fresh meat. In some references, the nose of a Dead Runners w compared to that of a dog. Other than Dead Runners that equated to around sixty per cent of the populace, there were others known as Hordes. These were slower zombies that often formed in small groups or hundreds. They had brilliant eyesight and could also communicate with the Dead Runner via strange snarls and snaps of rotting jaws.

  
So far within the walls, there had been three human adaptations, mutations thanks to the parasite embedded within the corpse. Besides the three humanoid ones, there were also twenty reported documents of strange creatures; these were rarely seen but always pulled enormous ratings for the show when one was spotted. As for the last humanoid adaptation, they were known as Swellers. Not common to see and were slow, dumb and overweight. They exploded in a wide area, releasing airborne parasites. Nothing Mike could dream of would come close to the real horror awaiting him and others.

 


	3. Appointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Kelly wants to do is get straight to the transport vehicle. First, she must face her most terrifying obstacle to date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if it seems like I'm jumping from one place to another but it'll make sense in the end, I promise.

Chapter Three

 

Goose flesh skin and a blank stare into the back wall was how Kelly remained after the initial phone call to Ultimate Survivor. She had little time to pack Katies essential and what few toys she had. Able to snap out of her bewilderment Kelly started to rush around the tiny flat with soft footsteps. She paced from one room to the next running hands through golden locks, pinching cheeks to check that this wasn’t a dream. Her heart raced with mixed emotions, fear more prominent. 

  
“All for Katie, all for Katie,” she mumbled to herself over and over as she hovered in the doorway to the living room and the hallway.

  
Panicking on what to do next, Kelly had to get Katie somewhere else. Pulling her mobile from her pocket, she hurried off into the kitchen where a sleeping Katie might not hear her distressed words. Katie slept in comfort on the sofa, but Kelly could not just leave her alone like that for long, it would be irresponsible. Now pacing between the fridge and sink Kelly scrolled through her phone to her best friend Nicole's number, as it attempted to connect Kelly bit at her nails and paced even more erratically.

 

“What’s up?” answered a cheery Nicole when the line established.  
Kelly was now pulling at her hair, leant against the fridge.

  
“Nicole, you won't believe what I’ve gone and done. I’ve entered it; I’ve entered the Ultimate Survivor game.” Kelly breathed fast and heavy, panting like a dog.

  
“Are you fucking nuts?” roared Nicole, “Tell me this is a joke right Kell? You’re pulling my leg; no way would you do that when you have Katie.” Nicole voiced concern, her voice fading out as she knew Kelly wouldn’t joke over this.

  
“I need you to look after Katie Nicole. Any money I win I will send it to you and her. I’ll explain more when you come on over, but you have to hurry. I have to leave in real soon.” Kelly started to cry, tears rolling down flustered cheeks.  
“Fucking hell Kelly! Crazy bitch! Give me ten, wait the fuck there and don’t do anything else reckless,” Nicole hung up, and Kelly now quivered.

  
A sickness spread from the pit of an empty stomach as Kelly grabbed an empty plastic bag. A cheap carrier bag from Lidl tucked under the sink with all the bleach and cleaning products. Un-creasing it Kelly whisked through her kitchen like a tornado. Cupboards flung open as she clutched at the baby formula and rusk biscuits, both going into the bag along with with a bottle warmer. Out of the kitchen and into the living room Kelly threw in some clothes and a little soft brown bear. Katie didn’t stir so she flitted into the hallway to unfold the pram and slip on her tatty white trainers. She also grabbed Katie's adorable pink coat from the hook on the wall along with her kakke coat with a fur-lined hood.

  
Any minute now Nicole would arrive to play hell and talk Kelly out of this, as far as Kelly knew it was too little too late. An agreement had been struck; Kelly was destined for the game. Nicole lived in the other block of flats not too far away with her mother and father. Kelly put the carrier bag of belongings under the pram in the little mesh holding and then went to pick her daughter up off the sofa while admiring her cute sleeping face.

  
Being careful as she slipped Katie’s coat on and then slipped her into the pram, she barely moved and grumbled a little when the straps clicked into place. One last item needed to go with her daughter and that happened to be her favourite little pink bunny rabbit. Kelly ran her hands across its softness as she picked it out of the crib. Half teddy and half blanket it was the first belonging Kelly purchased for Katie. Once placed next to Katie in the pram, Kelly checked the time on her phone, twenty minutes had passed since Nicole had hung up. No doubt she had told her mother who was funny enough also called Nicole and the two had been probably chattering all this time. Little did Kelly know that this was not the case.

****

A concrete underpass which connected the highrise flats always smelt of piss and its walls filled with tag marks and other graffiti. Often hooded teens loitered in the area and would pick on unsuspecting victims. Victims tended to be old or people not familiar with the area. Nicole, like Kelly, had grown up in the rundown shit hole so near enough all people knew them and they knew all of them too. The underpass was the only way to get over to Kelly’s now gave Nicole issues as she remained halted at the entrance. Dave and Paul were further on in picking on teens. Paul had jawed one and sent the lad of who must be fourteen to the floor. Pinning him down with knees, Paul laughed like a lunatic as he kept up a relentless assault to the lad's face. The other hooded teens wouldn’t move, none of them wanted to piss Dave off.

  
Never did the scenario change, route out the one with the loudest mouth in a group and give him a pasting and the rest would do nothing but stare — street code from way back when. Nicole didn’t care for the teen being beaten, she couldn’t even see who it was, but she didn’t want to be dragged into the scuffle either. Then again, she didn’t want to be dragged into the business of looking after Katie while Kelly went to die.  
Afraid of delving into the tunnel hairs stood on the back of Nicole’s slender neck as the wind blew her long brown hair. Racing thoughts plagued her mind, yet for Kelly, she stepped forward into the dim lit underpass. She battled to contain her breathing as her black trainers made sounds off the slabs when she walked, sounds that echoed on through. Paul relented his assault and released his grip of the teen when he heard the noise and Dave too joined his side to look at the timid scrawny girl heading towards them.

  
All were looking in her direction, and it filled Nicole with dread. Paul wiped his hands clean on a teen stood shaking against the wall while Dave smirked. Dave had a fantastic idea ping inside his head. If he couldn’t get to Kelly, then a more straightforward option had presented itself to him.

  
“This is a nice surprise. Isn’t a nice surprise, Paul?” asked Dave as he snickered. Body impulses told Nicole to tuck tail and run, yet she ignored it. Always had been brash she straightened up and with courage and bravery that one would find instilled within a hardened veteran she went forward towards the danger.

  
“Nice to see the pair of you protecting the place,” said Nicole as she stopped a few feet from Dave and Paul. Paul laughed at Nicole's remark as Dave clenched his tattooed fists.

  
“Getting smart with us you filthy little slag?” spat Dave as he walked towards Nicole. She didn’t back down, and he got close enough so that she could feel and smell his peppermint breath on her face.

  
“I don’t want any trouble, Dave, alright? I want to get through,” Nicole now trembled. At five foot four, Dave was like that of a giant to her as he stood at the height of six-three. Looking up at him, Nicole was reminded of her beloved father Dale laying in the hospital filled with tubes keeping him alive.

  
The scene before them all could have been depicted as David and Goliath only this Dave was the Goliath and Nicole the tiny human Dave. Dave had a stocky build and a ruthlessness about him. He frightened everyone and was a hell of a fighter. Never did Nicole doubt for a second that he wouldn’t leave her just as ruined as the teen that Paul laid out.

  
“If this is about Kelly and the money she owes you she will have it soon. I swear it, Dave, just let me pass please,” begged Nicole.

  
“How would a good for nothing whore get five grand?” asked Paul.

  
“Watch your damn mouth when you talk about Kelly, Paul,” snapped Dave as he was the only one allowed to call her names, his attention flickered between his friend and Nicole for a second. “How is she getting me my money though?” he quizzed.

  
Nicole didn’t want to reveal how so she remained quiet. Her feet edged backwards away from Dave as she prepared to run. Dave wasn’t all aggression though, he had intellect and sensed straight away what Nicole planned. He grabbed her white jacket and yanked her towards him.

  
“Where the fuck is she getting the money from?” his voice sharp and angry turned Nicole's body to jelly.

  
“She signed up for Ultimate Survivor,” mumbled Nicole as her eyes started to water. The response made Dave release her as he threw her backwards onto the stone slab floor.

  
“No way would she do something so stupid. You’re having me on, are you not?” Dave booted Nicole in the leg with force. It made her whimper like a tiny dog and coil like a terrified snake.

  
“It is the truth I swear it, Dave. You will get your money, and then you can leave her alone,” cried a distressed Nicole as she attempted to crawl backwards along the floor.

  
“I will never let her fucking go! She is mine; I own her. If she coughs up five grand, then she owes me ten. If she gives me ten, then she owes me twenty. Kelly will never be rid of me, ever! You hear that you fucking skank?” Dave booted Nicole again in her left thigh. The same spot he struck before.  
Tremendous pain and fear spread through Nicole as Dave kept on kicking her legs. She sobbed and tried to crawl away but was never fast enough. There would be no escape for her as Paul came over and dug his knee deep into her forehead. The pressure made it feel as though her head would split in two and all the while, Dave kicked one after the other. He laughed as she cried and screamed in pain. After twenty or so kicks and working up a sweat, Dave relented. By this point, he had kicked Nicole over thirty times and had done so for over a minute.

  
Wiping his bald head, Dave knelt and began to riffle through Nicole's pockets looking for her phone. When he found it in her left jeans pocket, he pulled it out and turned it on. A picture of Kelly and Nicole in pink dresses with drinks in hand greeted him. To get into the phone itself, he needed a four-digit passcode or a retina scan.

  
“Easy way or the hard way,” said Dave. “Code for your phone or I beat your face in a little till you show me those green eyes.”

  
“Four, nine, four, nine,” said Nicole through streams of tears. Dave unlocking the phone went straight for Kelly’s number. No way would she not pick up if he called her off this phone. First, he had to make sure business was finished.  
Turning to the group of petrified teens that hadn’t moved off the wall, Dave looked at them one at a time.

  
“Finish the fucking job I started. Make the woman look like your gobby little friend or Paul, and I will fuck you all up,” explained Dave. The teens didn’t hesitate and moved like a swift unit towards a pleading and begging Nicole.  
“Please! Please don’t! I’ve done nothing wrong, please!” Screamed Nicole until one of the youths kicked her in the jaw. The world spun a little after that, and more kicks and a flurry of fists hurtled towards her.

  
Dave now dialling the number waited a moment until Kelly answered.  
“Where the hell are you, Nicole? I have to get going, or I’m going to be late,” said Kelly. This all but confirmed the story for Dave, and his face screwed up at the news.

  
“Nicole won't be going anywhere, and neither are you. I own you. You’re my little whore!” screamed Dave.

  
“What are you doing with Nicole's phone? Where is Nicole? I’m calling the police right now Dave,” Kelly had flown into panic mode. She grasped what could have possibly happened fast.

  
“Call the police, and I’ll dump her body in the fucking river. You are going to come down to the underpass tunnel and meet me right now. Then you will hand over that little piece of shit you spat out from between your legs. After that, you will do whatever I say. If I say suck my dick, you suck. If I tell you to screw all of my friends…” Dave heard the phone go quiet as Kelly hung up.   
He had always wanted Kelly as his little slave. His bitch on a leash and if she entered that damn game his dream gone. Infuriated that she hung up, he threw Nicole’s phone against the tunnel wall so that it smashed into bits making everyone around him on edge.

****

Guilt sank into the darkest recesses of Kelly’s mind as she sat on her sofa. Phone rattling as he hands shook she didn’t know what to do. Over her dead body would she let Dave have Katie, yet she knew what he was capable of and tossing a body into the river was not beneath him. A month ago Nicole’s dad Dale beat Dave with a bat after Dave struck Nicole’s mother. When Dave recovered, he bided his time and then ran Dale over. People watched in horror as Dave hit him hard and then reversed over him slowly. Ever since then Dale had been on life support.

  
Mind vacant; Kelly stared at the television as the Ultimate Survivor games began to showcase some of its best scenes over and over. Gory, brutal and dramatic. People were eaten, turned or stabbed by their teammates. Ten minutes had flicked by since Dave called off of Nicole’s phone and there had been no further calls. Further to that, it had been fifteen minutes past the allotted time of pick up. She had to meet the collection team at Lidl carpark, a meet that would now never happen. By now she must have been withdrawn from the game for sure.  
Picking herself up off the sofa and ready to call the police and unknown number began to call. Kelly knew it had to be Dave. Even in knowing she picked up.

  
“Listen to me you fucking scumbag. I’m not giving you my daughter, and I’m calling the police right now,” bellowed Kelly.

  
“It appears you have an ongoing issue. This is Jackie; we spoke earlier if you recall? The collection team has been waiting for some time, and it is causing a public disturbance.” Jackie’s voice was calm and soft. Kelly felt her cheeks burn with embarrassment and she became flustered.

  
“I am so sorry,” replied Kelly. “I swear I didn’t mean to waste your time or mess anyone around. I don’t think I can make it to the collection team.” Kelly began to sob, her eyes becoming itchy.

  
“It does sound like you are under a great deal of stress. Is there any help I can provide you with?” asked Jackie.

  
“Unless you can rid me of the man terrorising me and who is waiting in the only tunnel out of here then no. I cannot reach the carpark without going through the underpass. I am sorry Jackie,” muttered Kelly. Through the phone, Kelly could hear humming and fast keystrokes.

  
“I have the area up now on satellite imagery. I see the underpass you speak of and that you are not lying. Do you still wish to compete in the game?” asked Jackie.

  
“Yes I do, I still wish to be part of the programme,” Kelly stopped talking as she heard more keystrokes.

  
“New orders have been processed; you are to leave right now and head for the underpass. The collection team are en route and are to provide you with safe passage. Deadly force has been granted, and you have ten minutes before you are then stricken off the game. Now go and go fast,” said Jackie before she hung up and the line went dead.

  
Kelly started to panic and an urgent need to rush came over her. A million and one questions also swirled her brain. She bolted out of her scummy livingroom, leaving the television on and opened the front door. Having no plans ever to return, Kelly grabbed the pram and struggled out of the narrow doorway. She left her door wide open, not bothering to lock it. A few kids playing ball gave her strange looks as she hurried by with the pram across the concrete corridor that overlooked the grassy yards below.

  
Each bump on concrete steps leading down the highrise threatened to wake Katie, but they didn’t. She slept even when Kelly came to a forceful and abrupt stop. As Kelly had drawn close to the bottom of the highrise, she spotted one of Dave’s friends selling drugs to a few teens. They loitered around on the last flight of stairs and barred passage. Cody, dressed in a blue bomber jacket, dark jeans and glistening white trainers looked up at Kelly as she headed down the second flight of stairs. Most called him D Man as his full name was Cody Mann. He had a nasty reputation too like Daves and was considered his runner.

  
“Well, it shows its fucking face. You and the kid are coming with me,” said Cody as he stashed packets of drugs in his pocket and the teens took off. Much like Kelly, they didn’t want to stick around.

  
“I’m going to meet with Dave now so can you just let me pass?” Kelly knowing she was short on time didn’t stop or let up. She hurried down the stairs to meet Cody.

  
“Sure you are because I’m the one taking you to him,” said Cody as he grinned through his mountain man beard. He pulled out his phone to call Dave and Kelly seized the opportunity to squeeze past him and hurry down the last set of stairs. She was never going to outrun him, not with Katie in the pram but she had to try.

  
Cody stormed down the steps after Kelly and caught her at the bottom. He grabbed her by the hair and then slapped her so hard she lost grip of the pram and fell to the chewing gum stained concrete. Katie now wide awake and crying could do nothing as the pram started to roll down the tarmac path towards steps that led to the tunnel.

  
Dizzy, Kelly scrambled to her feet and took off after the pram. Cody in hot pursuit tried to snag at her coat or hair, but she managed to avoid his grasp and keep a little in front. More than anything, Kelly needed to save her daughter but the pram moved faster than she could run. Absolute horror hit Kelly as she watched the pram hit the first stone steps heading down. The pram tilted forward, threatening to tumble and it did. It hit the middle rail and straightened back up. It lost all speed but not momentum as it continued to jerk down the steps. About to tip over and send Katie into hospital or worse Kelly grabbed the handle in time and halted it. Breathless and unable to stop, she continued down the steps. As long as she was in the tunnel, she wouldn’t be evicted, but Dave was also in this tunnel.

  
Down the steps with hurting sides Kelly could see a group of young lads along with Dave and Paul ahead. Thrown aside to one of the tunnel walls was a beaten Nicole who laid motionless and looked dead. Lads laughed as they took turns pissing on her and laughed more when it the urine soaked into her face and clothes. Kelly stopped at the sight, a wrong decision to make as she felt the full force of Cody’s grip around her hair. He swung her around like a doll and knocked the pram over.

  
Katie being so tiny slipped out of the straps and fell onto the floor crying as Cody slapped Kelly across the face and then flung her to the floor. He followed the slap with a huge gobby to the face, green and yellow phlegm from the back of his throat. It dribbled down Kelly’s right cheek and then onto her neck. The action alone was repulsive, but Kelly only thought about Katie as she clutched her child, shushing her as she checked for lumps and bumps. Nothing could be seen, which proved to be a relief.

  
Hoisted to her feet by Cody, he yanked and pulled Kelly to where Dave waited. She wiped her face and neck clean of the gobby using her coat sleeve and then took a closer look at her best friend. Nicole had company as a young lad beaten as much as she sat next to her. Ammonia clung to the air and their clothes like a pungent stench they had been utterly soaked. Nicole’s nose had been broken, her eyes swollen and her lips bust. She looked up at Kelly best she could, her eyes filled with fear and despair. Only a monster could do this to a person.  
“Hand me my fucking daughter!” snapped Dave as he held out his hands.  
Kelly had never slept with Dave and never would she. About as delusional as they came, Kelly refused to hand her daughter over and clutched Katie close to her chest.

  
“You are not her fucking dad,” said Kelly as loud and as stern as she could.  
“But I am going to be. I’ll be whatever I want. I own you, so you best keep that pretty mouth shut or else,” said Dave as he reached for Katie.

  
Kelly pulled away from Dave, and he didn’t like the fact she resisted. He lit up like dynamite.  
“After I make every lad in this tunnel fuck you, I am going to make it so you look like her. I will make sure you know your place. Strip her down Cody, it's time we all have a bit of fun,” said Dave as he smiled.

  
Cody went straight for Kelly’s jeans trying to pull them down best he could. Kelly wriggled and screamed until an almighty deafening bang erupted in the underpass. Cody fell against Kelly and then slumped to the floor with the back of his head burst like a destroyed melon. No one made a sound as each person looked to the far distance of the underpass.

  
Four men clothed in black SWAT gear with skull face masks made their way towards the group with guns raised. Dave who had been ready to explode now looked in distress. These men had blown Cody’s brains out with a single bullet through the teeth.

  
“Who the fuck are you pricks?” shouted Dave.

  
“Target confirmed,” said the leader of the collection team before then shooting Dave in the left knee blowing it out.

  
Blood sprayed across the concrete, and in agonising pain, Dave hit the floor. He cradled his leg like Kelly cradled Katie. The rest of the teens and Paul backed away to the edges of the tunnel while the other men made their way through guns raised.

  
“We have been tasked with escorting you to safety. That will have to stay behind,” said a male voice from behind a skull mask as he looked down at the baby.

  
“She is staying with my friend there, she too lives on the other side of this tunnel,” stated Kelly as she looked at Nicole.

  
The leader of the men assessed the situation around him and let it sink in. After a moment he came to a swift decision.

  
“One, pick that girl up and escort her out of here. We will escort the three of them to the end of the tunnel and then escort the asset to the helicopter. Someone grab the pram too,” said the leader.

  
“Sure thing Zero,” replied the man who had been called One. He hurried to help Nicole stand.

  
“If you are doing this for your kid then you’re a fucking idiot. My opinion means nothing, so don’t worry about it. My name is Zero, and this is my squad, One, Two and Three. Our job is to ensure you make it to the compound without harm, mental or physical.” Zero put out his hand to offer a handshake. Kelly nervous replied the gesture and shook his hand noting how cold it was. Even through thick black gloves, it felt like the artic or icy water.


	4. Fond Farewell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Transporting inmates shouldn't be that hard... right

Chapter Four

 

Armed guards with panicked faces made way to D-wing to help with prisoner escort duty. The moment all had been waiting for had come. Big Mike was due to be released, his destination being the zombie and horror infested Ultimate Survivor. Drew’s hands quivered as he walked the length of white-walled isolation cells. Others had taken the same offer as Mike and were already awaiting transport on the helicopter. Mike had been left till last and for good measure, a direct order from the warden himself.

  
Chains rattled, steps banged with a hurrying beat off the floor and each blue uniformed guard armed to the teeth dripped sweat as they rushed into D-wing. They came to a halt when they met up with Drew who now paced back and forth outside of Mike’s cell. Drew looked at his co-workers, and they looked at him. Nervous was too light of a word to use. With clammy fingers, Drew unbuttoned the clip on his Kosh and removed it from its holder. He banged it off Mike’s cell door producing loud thuds and metal echoes. Drew stopped after a few taps and listened for a reply.

  
Unclipping cuffs from his belt Drew gulped, he wondered why he had to do this. He breathed deeply, so his chest puffed out.  
“Okay, Mike. Don’t be going making a scene now — no need to make this harder than it is. Co-operate, and I’ll make sure you get out of here fast. I’m going to open the hatch, and you’re going to give me your hands. Is that clear? Do you understand?” asked Drew.

  
Silence lingered, and nothing but the ticking of watches could be heard. A minute passed and Mike didn’t respond. All the guards were ready to call it quits until each one leapt a foot out of their skin as a bang hit the door so hard it shuddered. Against the better judgment and through irrational fear, Drew opened the hatch, he put the key in, turned quickly and pulled down the piece of metal in one quick succession. Mammoth sized hands bolted out of the opening and reached for Drew’s throat. Drew leapt back, his heart in his gullet and his knees wobbling.

  
“That isn’t fucking funny Mike!” raged Drew as he slapped the cuffs around Mike’s wrists. Even at max, they bore deep into the giant man's flesh. Once on, Drew felt a slight breeze of relief as did others. Not too much though.

  
“Back away from the door now Mike and stand facing the left wall of your cell with your legs spread apart,” ordered Drew as he took a peek inside through the latch. No chance was he going to open it until he knew where the giant was.

  
Blood had dripped onto the floor and dribbled down the back of the door before trailing off to the left wall where Mikie stood. Drew didn’t like this at all. He inserted his key and unlocked the door. Other guards rushed inside and started to pat Mikie down with the gentlest of pats, scared that the big guy would turn on them and rip them apart. When cuffs were slapped around Mike’s ankles, the relief could be heard from everyone. As far as they were all concerned, the threat level had gone down a notch.  
Motty chuckled to himself as he wiped his brow and holstered his weapon, laughter that faded when he and his co-worker Jeff failed to move the behemoth. All of their strength failed them, and Mikie laughed at their feeble attempt to budge him one inch. Unsure of what to do in this situation, Jeff and Motty were at a loss, their faces grimaced when Mike turned to face them with a face full of blood. A deep gash had opened up in his forehead, and it didn’t take much to connect the dots.  
“He fucking nutted the door the mad cunt!” exclaimed Josh in an Australian accent who stood by Drew outside of the cell.

  
Mike walked out of the cell on his own; no one could move the man even if all four tried. The team of four consisting of Motty, a young lad from the Uk and a big fan of anime, Jeff, a lad from Brazil who loved to scribble a bit too much, Josh, a lad from Australian who was more obsessed with his bike than his job and poor Drew.  
Several security checkpoints, strange looks off guards and a few automatic doors later and the team of four and one prisoners were halfway there. Little left stood in their way now, and Mike had been relaxed and complacent. By rights he should have been heading to the medical wing and protocol was being broken escorting him straight to the helicopter. None of the guards was going to raise an issue about it though as they wanted this event over.

  
Through one last toughened security door next came the part the four men dreaded as sunlight washed over their faces. A pathway that cuts through the inmate's yards was going to be the biggest hurdle and being rec time hundreds were out. Prisoners all dressed in orange stood from benches or stopped what they were doing to gawk at this mammoth sized man. Unbeliavble to the majority of the prisoner that had believed the big man to be a myth most were star struck. Others had different agendas.  
The prison housed a notorious gang, the Aztecs: skinheads, baggy clothes, bad attitudes and bodies filled with tatts. A group of twelve rushed to the chain link fence smiling up at Mike and sneering.  
“Would you look at the size of you, you big overgrown prick,” said one of the Aztecs as he shook the fence. Mike stopped walking immediately at the comment and turned to face the five foot nothing man who pressed his face against the fence and ran his tongue along the metal.  
“You fancy me? You do don’t ya? Keep walking on Sasquatch,” mocked the Aztech as he blew kisses. The other members of the gang laughed like hyenas.  
Four guards unable to halt Mikes movements as he moved towards the fence could do little to stop his actions as he clubbed his hands together and struck the chainlink fence where the man had his face. The fence dinted, and chains pinged apart as Mike’s clubbed hands reached the man and turned his nose to a pulp. He flew back onto the dry dirt ground and remained unconscious as he bled. Him hitting the ground made all other members back off with hands raised. Mike grinned at the men before uncoupling his hands and then stretching his arms apart to show that if he wanted to the cuffs on him were not going to stop him as they started to give way to the sheer strength he had.

  
For Mike, this was a show of strength and put all Aztec members on notice, or so he thought until one member gestured a slit throat before walking away. Mike decided to leave it be, and to the guard's delight, he resumed walking. Happy to escape the courtyards through numerous checkpoints the whirling helicopter parked outside on grass grew louder as the blades spun. Prison watchtowers had rifles aimed at Mike in case he tried his luck as he was now out of the facility.  
Two men clad in black uniforms with skull masks waited by the helicopter in a military-style pose. The aircraft behind them was a big bird and capable of carrying a dozen or so people and heavy cargo.

  
“Remove the cuffs, they won't be needed,” said one of the skull masked men as he stepped forward to greet Mike, Drew, Jeff, Motty and Josh.

 

“You have any idea what this cunt is capable of?” shouted Josh through the whirl of blades.

  
“My name is Zero; I will handle him from here on out. If he misbehaves, I’ll toss his ass into the ocean.” Zero looked up at Mike and reminisced about past events. The size comparison between the two men was vast, and the way Zero spoke pissed Mike off. He snapped free of his cuffs and charged at the man.

  
With a giant clenched first Mike swung for Zero who ducked and then struck with a single gut shot. Mike hit the grass spluttering and wheezing, holding onto his side as he struggled to remain conscious. He felt like a metal bat had cracked him, no one had ever delivered such a punch in his life.

 

“Get him on his feet One and into the helicopter. We have a schedule to keep,” said Zero as he clambered into the open back of the craft.

  
As Zero sat down, he looked across at the other seated inmates that had also tried their luck. Each one nursed a broken nose or hand. Five had taken the deal to join the Ultimate Survivor show, and the five that accepted were brutal, sadistic killers. From left to right you had Messeni, real name Ian Smith from the UK, not even Mexican and yet rose to the point of a gang leader inside the Aztecs. Like his members, his head was shaved and his body covered in tats. A tear under one of his eyes and a tattoo of a slit throat on his neck was meant to instil fear in others. He glared at zero the most as his orange jumpsuit was bathed in his blood from a beat down not long since passed.

  
“I’m gonna fuck you up real good boy. The things I’ll do to you, you won't even have heard of,” spat Messeni.

  
“If you could think up anything I haven’t seen in that small fucking head of yours I’d be surprised. The whole fucking lot of you are nothing but kittens compared to the people I knew and the people I know. Do yourself a favour and shut up before I check how much boot can be squeezed inside your rectal cavities,” replied Zero. His comment made Messeni sink back into his seat and lips close.

  
Next to the Aztec was a frail looking man by the name of Robert Lyons. Arrested and charged with bombing a mall that killed dozens he was smart as a tac and knew his way around electrical devices. Zero gave him a busted nose, so he didn’t look out of place next to the others. Trouble was the blood had soaked into his thick black beard. One look at the man and you wouldn’t assume he was a convict.

  
Jason sat next to Robbert and looked just as nerdy with broken specs. No murders on his record but a lot of thefts. His highlight in life was stealing a police riot van as police attempted to storm a house and then crashed it into a police station while listening to the Lion King song. Last was Lance, he had a whole soprano type vibe about him and even looked the part as a middle-aged man. A round but well-groomed man, he was in jail for charges longer than a months shopping list. But, so far evidence against him kept disappearing.

  
“Make sure that son of a bitch dies in there,” shouted Dave as the man named One picked Mike up with a single hand and slung him into the helicopter. To One he was as light as a feather.

  
“Places are left in the game Mr Prison Guard, why not join and kill him yourself? Be a real man about it Puta!” One looked at Drew through his mask and saw the reluctant face Drew made. One laughed as he shook his head before boarding the craft and closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of my little preview for the beginning of a long way home. I hope you enjoyed it, if you spot anything you think could be improved then I'm happy to listen to your input.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read my work :)

**Author's Note:**

> I'd like to apologise for any mistakes, this piece hasn't yet been properly edited as I just haven't had the time and with my current workload it's been set on the backburner. I will update it in the near future though so please bear with me.
> 
> If you would like to see more of what I do then please subscribe. You can also check me out through https://linktr.ee/d.p.tighe


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